Few, if any, languages allow speakers to curse with the swagger that French does. If there’s one thing that is know about the French, is that nearly everything they do is done with a noticeable style.
Let’s dive in and give you some style. French curse words are fun, easy to learn, and translate well into English – meaning many of them are as easy to remember as they are to learn.
We’ll also discuss some language learning methods to help you memorize these words and implement them the next time you’re headed to Europe or West Africa.
Here we go!
Merde: Shit
Putain: Fuck or Whore
Putain de Merde: Fucking shit!
Baiser: Fuck, or Kiss, depending on context
Va te faire foutre: Go fuck yourself
Salaud: Bastard
Salope: Bitch
Encular: Fuck
Enule: Fuck you
A quick YouTube search for French curse words brings up a number of video results for both pronunciation and written forms of bad French words. It is important to remember that viewing and reviewing the words will make you more likely to remember them.
This video on how to curse in French you’ll find particularly effective:
Cue cards are a great technique to use for general language learning. Add swear words, and the process gets that much more enjoyable. Adding visual cues to the bad French words can help you learn them faster. Use white flash cards to memorize your vocabulary words.
Write the curse words on a cue card, with the English translation on the back side. This is a fun game to practice with friends. These cards are also a good way to play a practical joke on a friend – put one on their dashboard, for example.
About the same amount as the average English speaker. The French are never shy to express their emotions or thoughts on something, and you’ll notice that their swearing tends to fall in line with this.
While studying French curse words, go over each term many times. Speak out loud, and to someone else who’s learning (and who won’t be offended!) whenever possible. If you don’t remember what the vocabulary means, look on the back of your cue card to see the English translation. The video here, or French movies, can help with pronunciation. After a few repetitions, while looking through the cards, you’ll remember the vocabulary through both the audio and visual associations. Continue repeating the vocabulary out loud until you memorize it.
Why not take it a step further and actually learn French? It’s a beautiful language spoken by over 330 million people around the world. Our native French speakers offer French lessons online to get you speaking French regularly. Have a free lesson on us!
As we noted earlier repetition is key to success. Use your key cards, practice with a friend, or better yet – do some Skyping with a fluent French speaker. You two can swear at each other like one of you just punched the other’s son square in the face. Bet you never thought learning a new language could be so much fun!
The moral of the story is to just do it. Learn the words. Use the words. Then, expand your French vocabulary to cover basic daily interactions and conversations. Practice every day and we promise – you’ll see those fucking results.
If you’re traveling to a France or another French-speaking country, sign up for our free French Survival Crash Course! We’ll send you audio files and e-books to get you speaking basic French before your trip.
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